Supply chain & logistics


Pharmaceutical supply chains are still reacting to the pressures of the pandemic, though they have mostly held steady and avoided many of the potential risks. The stresses placed on certain products have led both commercial and academic experts to ask how we might add even more protection for companies, hospitals and patients that rely on timely deliveries. From enhancing visibility to localised sourcing, Jim Banks explores how the industry can instil more reliability in its supply chains.


The struggleto supply P


harmaceutical supply chains have become global and more complex, with outsourcing to contract manufacturers an increasingly large component, and new delivery and logistics methods reshaping how they operate. As these changes manifest, it is critical to ensure that supply chains can withstand shocks, and the Covid-19 pandemic has provided the ultimate test.


According to management consultancy McKinsey & Company, the worldwide value of pharmaceutical goods has grown sixfold in the past two decades,


40


rising from $113bn in 2000 to $629bn in 2019. They’re also delivered through much more complex and opaque supply chains, with research showing for some products that supply chains start in Asia and circumnavigate the globe twice. Faced with a global pandemic, the need for accelerated vaccine development and rollout, and all of the usual demands unrelated to Covid-19, the pharmaceutical supply chain has been under unprecedented pressure. Nevertheless, while there have been some shortages of key ingredients, they have held up well.


World Pharmaceutical Frontiers / www.worldpharmaceuticals.net


Golden Sikorka; NiRain/www.shutterstock.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53